Fentress County, Tennessee Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Fentress County, TN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 73% of counties in Tennessee
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 84% of counties in Tennessee
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Fentress County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 19,309 | 7,058,506 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 38.7 | 167.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.93% | 0.94% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 46.8 | 37.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,831 | 2,819,839 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Fentress County grew by 10.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 19,309 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Fentress County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.4% of residents. That is 5.0 points above Tennessee as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,370 17.5% -3.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,517 18.2% -3.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,252 22.0% +1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,318 22.4% +5.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Tennessee, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.9% of the people living in Fentress County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Tennessee 50.9%
- Men 50.1% Tennessee 49.1%
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100% of everyone living in Fentress County
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Economy
Fentress County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Fentress County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,226 | $69,901 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.10% | 5.19% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Fentress County is about 27% lower than in Tennessee.
Housing
| Metric | Fentress County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $123,957 | $255,786 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $709 | $1,188 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.6% | 66.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Fentress County is about 14.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $709 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Fentress County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 143 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Fentress County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.1 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.2 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 143 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,422 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 12.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,036 | 9,259 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 274 | 1,225 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Tennessee:
Dyer County (15.9 min), Henry County (16.7 min), Obion County (17.1 min).
Slowest:
Cannon County (33.3 min), Union County (33.2 min), Fayette County (33.1 min).
The average commute time in Fentress County is 17 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Tennessee.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Fentress County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Fentress County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.0% | 27.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.44 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Tennessee:
Williamson County (0.4), Davidson County (0.3), Knox County (0.3).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.1), Van Buren County (0.1), Lauderdale County (0.1).
Health
Fentress County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Fentress County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.8 | 74.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 21.9% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 27.2% | 25.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Tennessee:
Williamson County (0.8), Rutherford County (0.8), Wilson County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clay County (0.8), Lake County (0.8), Hancock County (0.8).
Fentress County, TN Compared With Nearby Counties
Fentress County, TN is typical in size for this group, 19,309 residents against a local median of 22,110, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Fentress County, TN's commute, at 17.1 min, runs 24% below the 22.7 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 12.1 min on commute, so Fentress County, TN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Fentress County, TN has the lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fentress County, TN | 19,309 | $51,226 #2/4 | $123,957 #3/4 | 17.1 min #1/4 |
| Overton County, TN | 23,065 | $48,710 | $136,818 | 22.7 min |
| Morgan County, TN | 21,361 | $65,837 | $102,917 | 32.2 min |
| Scott County, TN | 22,110 | $44,607 | $318,571 | 20.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Fentress County, Tennessee.
How many people live in Fentress County, Tennessee?
About 19,309 people live in Fentress County, Tennessee, in 7,831 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 46.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
How densely populated is Fentress County, Tennessee?
Averaged over its land area, Fentress County, Tennessee has 39 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 45% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Fentress County, Tennessee?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($123,957 against $51,226), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $709 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Fentress County, Tennessee?
15.0% of adults in Fentress County, Tennessee hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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